Forty years ago there was a great demand for newer and better kinds of potatoes which has, since that time, been largely supplied, and commercial potato-growing consists in multiplying the standard varieties which best suit the soil and the market.  This is done by planting the tuber itself, which is really a root-cutting and therefore reproduces its own kind.  Those who are originating new kinds of potatoes still use seed from the balls, either taking their chances by natural variation or, by hybridizing the blossoms, increasing the chances for variation from which desirable varieties are taken by selection, to be afterward multiplied by growth from the tubers.

Seed-Ends of Potatoes.

Is it bad practice to plant the seed-ends of potatoes?

The seed-end of the potato is the least valuable part of it, but it is better probably to plant than to reject it.

The Moon and Potato Planting.

Is there any foundation to the oft-repeated story about potatoes in the light of the moon running to tops and the dark of the moon to spuds?

If we paid any attention to the moon in planting, we should plant in the dark of the moon so as to give the plant opportunity to make use of whatever additional light the full moon afforded.

Planting Whole Potatoes.

One man states the only way to cut seed is to take a potato and cut the ends off and not divide the potato any more; or, in other words, a whole potato for each seed.

Good results are obtained by planting whole potatoes, but in that case there is no advantage in removing the ends.

How to Cut Seed Potatoes.

Would it pay in returns to use large potatoes for seed in preference to culls?

Large potatoes are better than culls, but medium-sized potatoes are better than either.  Many experiments have been made to determine this.  At the Arkansas station whole tubers two to three inches in diameter yielded 18 per cent more than small whole tubers three-quarters to one and one-quarter inches in diameter, and large cut tubers yielded 15.8 per cent more than small cut tubers.

Cutting Potatoes to Single Eyes.

Some say only one eye to a piece; others say several eyes — which is better?

In one experiment potatoes cut to single eyes with each piece weighing one-sixteenth of an ounce yielded 44 bushels to the acre, while single eyes on two-ounce pieces yielded 177 bushels to the acre.  Experiments in Indiana showed that the yield usually increased with the weight of the set and that the exact number of eyes per cutting is relatively unimportant.

Potato Scab.

Can potatoes be treated in any way before planting to prevent the new ones from being what is called “scabby”?